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The Seven Sacraments
The Seven Catholic Sacraments are ceremonies that point to what is sacred, significant and important for Christians. They are special occasions for experiencing God's saving presence.
The Latin word sacramentum means "a sign of the sacred." The seven sacraments are ceremonies that point to what is sacred, significant and important for Christians. They are special occasions for experiencing God's saving presence. That's what theologians mean when they say that sacraments are at the same time signs and instruments of God's grace.
Following the example given by Jesus, baptizing initiates an individual in the Christian community and confers sanctifying grace on the soul, purifying it with water and sealing it with the holy Christ.
Fulfilling the Commandment of Jesus: "Do this in memory of me", First Communion / Eucharist unites the person to God and the Catholic faith for the reception of Holy Communion in Holy Mass. The Eucharist makes us a body and provides them with the graces to love and serve God and each brother more faithfully, thus fulfilling the prayer of Jesus to the Father: "Father, may they all be one like you and I are one". If you have a child who is ready for First Communion or would like to begin the process of receiving First Communion.
Confirmation ends the Rites of Initiation begun in Baptism. They unite the Candidate totally to the Catholic Faith sacramentally. Like the Apostles at Pentecost, confirmation anoints the person in a special way with the Holy Spirit. In the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Confirmation is received by age of 15 and generally takes two years of preparation. If your child is ready for Confirmation, or if you have not received this Sacrament yet and would like to receive it.
Let's start with the certainty that we have all sinned. Each of us makes mistakes... Jesus established this beautiful Sacrament to wash us of our sin and restore us through his love. The Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation (also known as Penance, or Penance and Reconciliation) has three elements: conversion, confession and celebration. In it we find God's unconditional forgiveness; as a result we are called to forgive others.
The Catholic Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, formerly known as Last Rites or Extreme Unction, is a ritual of healing appropriate not only for physical but also for mental and spiritual sickness and preparation for death and entry into the new life of heaven.
Commitment and Marriage is a blessed time in the life of the couple, just as Jesus blessed the couple in Cana with their presence thus raising the Marriage to a sacrament, He blesses you and your spouse for life through Catholic Marriage . If you want to marry in the Church of Santa Maria we would like to support you during your commitment or if you would like to speak with a priest about your current marital situation in the Church.
God calls us all to serve him in a very particular way of life. Either in the Sacrament of Marriage or in the consecration to a specific community or through the Priestly Ministry or Religious Life, as Deacon, or Brother or Sister. In the Sacrament of Holy Orders, or Ordination, the priest being ordained vows to lead other Catholics by bringing them the sacraments (especially the Eucharist), by proclaiming the Gospel, and by providing other means to holiness.
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